BIGGEST PILL BUST IN HISTORY Thousands of stolen pills found in rural Guernsey County home

Rick Stillion The Daily JeffersonianPublished: July 31, 2014 1:00PM

A Center Township resident is facing felony drug-related charges after Guernsey County sheriff's deputies found thousands of prescription pills inside the home where he was staying Tuesday afternoon.

The pills were determined to have been stolen from an out-of-state location, according to sheriff's Capt. Jeff Paden.

"This is another step in our on-going fight against drugs in Guernsey County," said Paden of the bust that is the largest involving prescription pill in the county's history. "And, we will continue to fight against illegal drug activity in the county."

The 46-year-old male suspect remained incarcerated in the Guernsey County Jail awaiting charges. He is jailed on a felony hold issued by the sheriff's office and a hold issued by Coshocton County authorities.

According to reports, deputies conducted a felony traffic stop at approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday in Cambridge on a vehicle driven by the suspect after illegal narcotics were allegedly purchased from him during a controlled buy.

A search of the vehicle revealed several hundred prescription pills, suspected heroin and marijuana and an undisclosed sum of cash. The items were all seized as evidence.

Two females in the vehicle with the suspect at the time of the traffic stop were questioned by deputies and later released.

Following the traffic stop, deputies were given permission to search a Center Township home where the suspect lived. Once inside the residence, they reportedly found thousands of various prescription pills still in the original bottles used to ship them to pharmacies.

Detectives contacted an investigator with the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy and the pills were determined to be the pills reported stolen following a robbery at an out-of-state pharmacy.

"We ran the numbers on the bottles through the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy investigator and he determined they had been reported as stolen," Paden confirmed.

A firearm allegedly owned by the suspect was also discovered inside the Center Township home and was seized by deputies.

Paden said charges are expected to be filed against the suspect in the near future.

The case remained under investigation by the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office.